Fine Art Poster
From $29
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Omando: Ochie, Onokichi of the Matsuya - Kitagawa Utamaro
Regular price
$29.00 USD
Sale price
$29.00 USD
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A refined Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro, capturing two women in traditional costume during the Yoshiwara Niwaka Festival.
This woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicts a scene from the Yoshiwara Niwaka Festival, a yearly event held in the pleasure quarters of Edo. The work belongs to the series 'Female Geisha Section of the Yoshiwara Niwaka Festival' (Seiro niwaka onna geisha no bu), which captures the performers and participants in their elaborate costumes. Utamaro is recognised for his mastery of the bijin-ga genre, which focuses on the depiction of beautiful women. In this composition, the artist employs his characteristic elongated proportions and graceful line work to define the figures.
The scene shows Ochie and Onokichi, two women associated with the Matsuya establishment, engaged in the preparations or the performance of the festival. The figures are dressed in layered kimonos featuring decorative motifs, including a prominent carp design on the lower garment of the central figure. The use of colour is balanced, relying on soft pinks, muted blues, and earthy tones to create a sense of harmony. The composition is structured with a focus on the interaction between the women, while the inclusion of a lantern and a hanging curtain provides a sense of the theatrical environment of the Yoshiwara district.
Utamaro's ability to convey personality through subtle facial expressions and posture is evident here. The print reflects the social culture of the Edo period, where the activities of the geisha and the festivities of the pleasure quarters were subjects of great interest. The technical execution, from the precision of the woodblock carving to the application of pigment, demonstrates the high standards of the Ukiyo-e tradition. This print offers a view into the aesthetic preferences and social customs of late eighteenth-century Japan, presented with the clarity and elegance associated with Utamaro's mature period.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
Omando: Ochie, Onokichi of the Matsuya - Kitagawa Utamaro
Regular price
From $29.00 USD
Sale price
From $29.00 USD
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Kitagawa Utamaro
Utamaro was arrested in 1804 for making prints depicting the sixteenth-century military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was manacled for fifty days. He died two years later, at roughly fifty-three. The connection between the punishment and the death is debated, but the timing suggests something broke.
Almost nothing is certain about his early life. He was born around 1753, possibly in Edo, possibly in Kyoto, possibly in Kawagoe. He began publishing prints in the 1770s under the guidance of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, who recognised what Utamaro could do with a portrait of a woman.
What he could do was unprecedented. He invented the okubi-e format: large head-and-shoulders portraits of individual women, mostly from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, printed in close-up with minimal background. Before Utamaro, bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) showed groups of figures in full length. He isolated the face, the tilt of the head, the expression. The prints are psychologically specific in a way that had not existed in Japanese printmaking.
He also published books of insect studies and volumes of shunga (erotica), and he made portraits of ordinary town women, not just courtesans. Ohisa and Okita, two shopgirls who appeared in his Three Beauties of the Present Day, became famous across Edo because of his prints. He turned real people into celebrities, which may be the first documented instance of an artist functioning as a kind of media platform.
Tsutaya Juzaburo died in 1797. Utamaro was reportedly devastated. Some critics feel his work never reached the same level afterward. He produced over two thousand prints in his career.
Almost nothing is certain about his early life. He was born around 1753, possibly in Edo, possibly in Kyoto, possibly in Kawagoe. He began publishing prints in the 1770s under the guidance of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, who recognised what Utamaro could do with a portrait of a woman.
What he could do was unprecedented. He invented the okubi-e format: large head-and-shoulders portraits of individual women, mostly from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, printed in close-up with minimal background. Before Utamaro, bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) showed groups of figures in full length. He isolated the face, the tilt of the head, the expression. The prints are psychologically specific in a way that had not existed in Japanese printmaking.
He also published books of insect studies and volumes of shunga (erotica), and he made portraits of ordinary town women, not just courtesans. Ohisa and Okita, two shopgirls who appeared in his Three Beauties of the Present Day, became famous across Edo because of his prints. He turned real people into celebrities, which may be the first documented instance of an artist functioning as a kind of media platform.
Tsutaya Juzaburo died in 1797. Utamaro was reportedly devastated. Some critics feel his work never reached the same level afterward. He produced over two thousand prints in his career.
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Fine Art Framed
From $89
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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